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Light Pollution News & Info

The fight for dark skies rages on.

The United States at night from space, where the amount of light radiating up into the sky is quite evident.

Although San Diego is blessed with good weather and good
astronomy, our proximity to the population density of
Southern California produces a sky glow that can overwhelm
the night sky. Both the City and County of San Diego have
adopted laws and regulations to preserve our night skies.
County regulations apply to unincorporated areas, but not to
Federal, State or BIA reservations.

(1) Outdoor lighting fixtures shall be
installed in a manner that minimizes negative impacts from
light pollution including light trespass, glare, and urban
sky glow in order to preserve enjoyment of the night sky and
minimize conflict caused by unnecessary illumination.

(2) Regulation of outdoor lighting is
also intended to promote lighting design that provides for
public safety and conserves electrical energy.

If a violation of the Municipal Code is noted, such as
unshielded outdoor lighting, call the Neighborhood Code
Compliance Department at 619-236-5500 to lodge a complaint.
Generally, they will not release your name to the offender,
but you will need to leave a name with the City. A Code
Enforcement officer will then visit the site (at night). Or,
if you are on good terms with your neighbor, the
International Dark Sky Association has suggestions and a
draft letter for a neighborly conversation.

For City of San Diego street lights shining on your
property, you can request the
City Street Division install a shield. Shielding is an
option only if the street light is on the same side of the
street as your house, but if you don't get a shield,
escalate the issue to your city councilperson.

The County of
San Diego regulates outdoor lighting in the unincorporated
portions of San Diego County. The
County's Light Pollution Code was passed by the Board of
Supervisors in 2009 to:

"Sec. 51.201. The purpose of this chapter is to minimize
light pollution to allow citizens of the County to view and
enjoy the night environment and to protect the Palomar and
Mount Laguna observatories from the detrimental effect that
light pollution has on astronomical research.”

Both the City and County have special standards for a
radius around the Palomar and Laguna Observatories with a
radius of 15 miles. The table below is from the San Diego
County Planning and Development Services web site, a pdf of
Private Outdoor Lighting regulations. Zone A is around
the observatories while Zone B is the rest of the county, if
applicable. (Federal, State, BIA excepted)

“SEC. 51.204. REQUIREMENTS FOR
LAMP SOURCE AND SHIELDING.

The requirements for lamp source
and shielding of light emissions for outdoor luminaires
shall be as provided in the LAMP TYPE AND SHIELDING
REQUIREMENTS PER FIXTURE

CLASS I-COLOR RENDITION IMPORTANT

LAMP TYPE

ZONE A (15 Mi.)

ZONE B

Low Pressure Sodium

Fully Shielded

Fully Shielded

Others above 4050 Lumens

Prohibited

Fully Shielded

Others 4050 Lumens &
Below

Fully Shielded 1

Fully Shielded 1

CLASS II-PARKING
LOTS, SECURITY, ETC.

LAMP TYPE

ZONE A (15 Mi.)

ZONE B

Low Pressure Sodium

Fully Shielded

Fully Shielded

Others above 4050 Lumens

Prohibited

Prohibited, except fully
shielded HPS is allowed for private roadways

Others 4050 Lumens &
Below

(a) Fully Shielded
Fixture with motion sensor, or

(b) Unshielded
Luminaire, 2000 lumens maximum with motion sensor or

(c) Residential Entrance Light, 2000 lumens maximum

(a) Fully Shielded
Fixture, or

(b) Unshielded Luminaire,
2000 lumens maximum with motion sensor or

(c) Residential Entrance
Light, 2000 lumens maximum

Federal, State, and BIA
reservation property is not subject to County regulations,
however the County requests voluntary compliance.

At the Federal level, legislation
mandates that the States establish outdoor advertising
regulations along Interstate and other designated primary
highways. Generally, the States are required to implement
their own regulations in exchange for Federal Highway Funds.
In California, that's The California Outdoor Advertising
Act. USC131 (h) applies to Federal reservations and public
lands--such as Bureau of Land Management land--but does not
apply to BIA reservation signage, such as the billboards
near Boulevard/Tierra del Sol along I-8.

CalTrans issues permits for Interstate highway
advertising and controls billboards on scenic highways and
licenses outdoor advertisers. Most towns and cities have
sign ordinances that may also be effective near the
freeways, but some use billboards as revenue generating
opportunities. Federal or State owned property such as San
Diego State University are exempt from local sign laws and
can erect billboards, on-premises, along I-8 without any
permit at all.